FRI 14 MAR – Sudan’s largest refugee camp will be “turned to ashes”, soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have vowed, amid a weeks-long siege that local aid workers say has already created “catastrophic” conditions.
The Zamzam camp is estimated to be home to up to one million people displaced from elsewhere in Sudan and is situated in the only part of North Darfur not yet under RSF control. Recent weeks have seen it come under repeated attacks by RSF forces, with reports of killings, sexual violence, and the deliberate torching of property and livestock.
Footage circulating on social media shows three RSF soldiers sitting in the back of a vehicle while speaking into the camera and making threats against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). "We are at the frontlines and there are only two options, either victory or martyrdom,” one says. “We either take them or they take us, and we always take them. We are coming for you. Zamzam is going to be a memory. Zamzam will turn to ashes.”
The man in the video states the date as 8th March and identifies himself as Salah Abdeen Mohammed Azala. Salah runs the "درع الصحراء" (Desert Shield) Facebook page, documenting life on the battlefield and routinely posting hate speech and graphic content. He names the two men with him as Gouda Abdeen Mohammed Azala and Jouma Mohammed Azala. In an earlier video, posted 4th March, Salah showcases a group of young RSF soldiers and refers to them as "Ashbal”, a word used to refer to teenage boys in Arabic.
A source told Avaaz that the RSF has tightened its siege on Zamzam, blocking the roads to nearby El Fasher and Tawila and posting snipers on the road to El Fasher. The siege has also effectively ended humanitarian access to the camp, exacerbating already dire conditions for people inside.
A statement from the El Fasher Emergency Response Room said the situation in parts of Zamzam had reached a “catastrophic level”. It said there were “rising death rates among children and women due to hunger, disease, and the lack of basic services” as well as “extreme difficulty in accessing clean drinking water and proper shelter”.
Photos sent to Avaaz from the camp showed multiple children with signs of severe acute malnutrition. “The situation is further exacerbated by the lack of healthcare facilities and the widespread outbreak of diarrhoea and respiratory infections among children,” the statement said. “Immediate intervention is necessary to prevent further loss of life.”
Save the Children said on Wednesday its clinics in the camp had no more than two days’ worth of medical supplies remaining and may be forced to close. It added that it had a “significant stock of medicine, chlorine water treatment materials, and other medical equipment” in Tawila, but that “insecurity and road closures are likely to hinder efforts” to deliver them.
The RSF siege on Zamzam has also caused the price of basic goods to soar over the past two weeks. A source with knowledge of the situation in the camp told Avaaz that a bar of soap, which previously cost SDG 1,000 ($1.70), is now SDG 4,000 ($6.60), while 1kg of sugar has risen from SDG 4,000 ($6.60) to SDG 11,000 ($18.30). The security situation already makes it difficult for most people in the camp to earn a living, while a critical shortage of cash has seen people charged as much as 20% to convert their digital savings.
In Abu Shouk, another IDP camp near El Fasher, the latest satellite imagery gathered by Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) following reported shelling showed damage to the roof of the Naivasha market. The market is thought to be the only one currently active in the camp, where the UN has already said famine conditions are present. Local media and aid groups said at least 12 people were killed and over 60 were injured in shelling on the camp between 2 March and 5 March. The HRL identified a heavy artillery system consistent with a AH4 howitzer that was believed to be being operated by the RSF and which had its barrel pointed towards Abu Shouk.
In the city of El Obeid, North Kordofan, at least two children were killed and eight people were seriously injured in RSF shelling on Wednesday, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The group said some of those injured had to undergo amputations of their legs and hands. Reports suggested at least nine more people were killed in shelling of the city in the preceding days.
In our Voices From the Ground segment below, one civilian living in El Obeid tells us the shelling in the city is causing a “state of constant fear and panic”. He says the attacks mostly target residential areas and markets that bear no resemblance to military sites and that they always begin when large numbers of civilians are gathered.
On Sunday, an RSF convoy of around 35 four-wheel drives attacked the town of Al-Khawi, West Kordofan and looted people’s homes and the local market before withdrawing, according to the Sudan War Monitor. Four civilians and four RSF soldiers were killed in the attack, while five other civilians were injured.
Strikes by SAF aircraft in Hamrat al-Sheikh, North Kordofan, on Monday also killed two civilians and injured five others, according to the Emergency Lawyers group. A statement said the strikes had “targeted markets and civilian gathering areas” and were part of a wider campaign intended to “create an unlivable environment and force families to flee”.
Interviews available on request
Avaaz is in contact with human rights defenders, civilians, and Emergency Response Room (ERRs) volunteers across Sudan. If you would like to be connected with people on the ground, please reach out to sudan@avaaz.org or WhatsApp Shayna
*Names have been changed due to safety concerns.
Speaking on Thursday, El Obeid resident, Ahmed told Avaaz: “The situation in El Obeid is currently at the height of tension. Citizens of El Obeid expect a shell to fall at any moment.
“This is due to the continuous random shelling for the seventh consecutive day. Most victims and injuries from this random shelling are civilians, if not all the victims, and most of them are women and children.”
“It has become clear to everyone that RSF are deliberately targeting El Obeid citizens with this shelling because most shells fall in residential neighborhoods and markets that have no relation to military appearance. RSF always chooses times and places where citizens gather and begins random shelling.”
“For example, yesterday, at midday, shells fell in the market, resulting in injuries to many citizens and one death. Then the shelling was repeated during Taraweeh prayer time, which led to the killing of a woman named Afaf Al-Sunni and two of her children (Hajij Muhammad and Zaineb Muhammad).
“The shelling was repeated again at 11:30 at night when RSF targeted El Obeid with more than four shells. One of the shells fell in the big market at Abdul Zaher building, and another fell in a house in the Alrube Alawal neighborhood, resulting in one death and several injuries.
“All these events were just yesterday. On other days, most shelling occurs around iftar time [the meal eaten at sunset to break the Ramadan fast].
“This continuous violent random shelling has led to a state of constant fear and panic. This period is one of the worst periods that El Obeid has experienced since the outbreak of the war.
“There is a significant shortage of medical services, making the situation more difficult for us. Most injuries do not receive the necessary medical care, leading to an increase in the number of deaths, including cases that died due to lack of oxygen.
“We have become helpless.”
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The weekly dispatch features the latest developments, first-hand testimony, footage, photos, stats and analysis on Sudan. We can connect you with voices from the ground, experts and survivors of the war. I am available at +44 7935 296 004 / sudan@avaaz.org
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